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Retire To Portland, ME
City Report

Portland, Maine is one of the great places in the U.S. for that retirement or second home. Find city facts on home sales prices, air quality, water quality, medical care, cost of living, weather and other demographics.


Click for Portland, Maine Weather Forecast

Read the city profile and recent blog posts from local real estate experts. The EPA map shows superfund cleanups in the area and the interactive map provides a birds-eye view of the city.

Links in the data below provide a list of cities similar to Portland in that certain data category. Check back often for home price updates.


Portland, Maine
Lighthouse near Portland, Maine
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Portland, Maine


Population
. 1990 2000 2007
Portland Metro Area blank 243,537 blank
Portland 64,358 64,249 62,825



Portland
Home Sales Prices
(new & existing homes)
. Average Annual Average Yr-Over-Yr Change
2010 .nana
2009 .nana
2008 .$251,201-2.1%
2007 . $256,637 2.6%
2006 . $250,039 0.1%
2005 . $249,759 8.8%
 Local Home Resources Resources:
     






Cost of Living (2010)
108% GPTR 99 City Average
127%



Home Sales Price Comparison
(2010)
. . GPTR 99 City Avg
Near Large City Boston na
Home Sales Price in Boston $322,000 $213,000
Home Sales Price Bargain Index 78% of Boston home prices 155%



Portland
Distance to Nearest Large City
(pop. > 200,000)
107 miles  to Boston GPTR 99 City Average
97 miles



Air Quality
. Good Days Moderate Days Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days Unhealthy Days
2008 330 21 1 0
2007 210 24 4 1
2006 318 47 0 0
2005 314 51 0 0




Portland
Water Quality
. % Good % Threatened % Impaired
2006 na na na
2004 41 0 59
2002 43 0 57




Taxes
(2009-2010)
blank Tax Rate Days Worked to Pay State Rank Tax Rate
(99 City Avg)
Days Worked to Pay
(99 City Avg)
State and Local Sales Tax 5.0% -- 43* 6.8% --
Federal, State and Local Tax -- 94 days 34* -- 99 days
* State rank of 1 pays the highest taxes



Portland
Recreation
. # of Parks # of Parks
(99 City Avg)
National Parks, Historic Sites, etc.
(managed by National Park Service)
Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Essex National Heritage Area plus 6 more 7
National Campgrounds, Lodges, etc.
(other federal agency-managed sites)
16 26
State Parks, Sites, etc. 23 11



Crime Report
(crimes per 10,000 population)
. Total Crimes Violent Crimes Property Crimes
2008 483 41 442
2007 527 37 490
2006 582 43 539
2005 505 42 463




Portland
Climate
(1971-2000)
. . 99 City Avg
January - Avg Low Temp 13 F 27 F
January - Avg Daily Temp 22 F 37 F
July - Avg Daily Temp 69 F 74 F
July - Avg High Temp 79 F 86 F
Avg Annual Precipitation 46 in 35 in



Elevation
45 feet GPTR 99 City Average
1,660 feet



Portland
Natural Hazards
. Risk Level 99 City Average
Total Hazard Risk Moderate Moderate
Earthquake .7% .6%
Tsunami No Risk No Risk
Hurricane 20-40 0
Flood Very High Very High
Tornado Low Low
Volcano No Risk No Risk
Wildfire Low Low



Demographics
(2006)
. . 99 City Avg
White 91.3% 83.3%
Black 2.6% 6.9%
Native American 0.5% 0.8%
Asian 3.1% 3.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.2%
Other 0.7% 3.3%
Multiple Races 1.9% 2.4%
Hispanic (of any race) 1.5% 8.7%



Portland
Median Age (2006)
36 years GPTR 99 City Average
36 years



Family Income & Housing
(2006)
. . 99 City Average
Total Housing Units 31,862 26,131
Occupied Housing Units 93% 86%
Vacant Housing Units (seasonal or recreational use) 7% 14%
Home Ownership Rate 43% 54%
Median Family Income $48,763 $55,423
Average Family Size 2.89 2.91



Portland
Medical Care
(2009)
Hospital/Medical Center City Distance from City Accredited - Dept. of HHS, AOA or JCAHO GPTR 99 City
Average
Mercy Hospital Portland In the city Yes 4 accredited hospitals within 10 miles of city
Maine Medical Center Portland In the city Yes
New England Rehab Hospital Portland In the city Yes
1 more hospital(s) can be viewed at the Medical Care page.



Population Density
(2007)
. . 99 City Avg
Land Area (sq mi) 21 31
People Per Square Mile 2,992 2,035



Portland
Building Permits
(single family homes)
2009 23
2008 17
2007 25
2006 44
2005 127




Heating and Cooling Degree Days
(avg annual)
. . 99 City Avg
Total Degree Days 7,665 5,926
HDD 7,318 4,677
CDD 347 1,249



EPA Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites
(Portland Area)
Portland Area EPA Cleanup Sites


Legend:
Small green circles (older style maps) or multi-colored circles (newer style maps: click here for legend) indicate 1)Superfund Sites 2)Federal Facilities 3)RCRA Corrective Action Sites and 4)Brownfields Properties (EPA hazardous material cleanup sites defined at Environment link)



Portland Area Interactive Maps

(Click map icons to Zoom In/Out, change format, navigate or rotate. Click map and drag mouse
to pan. Use Pegman for a StreetView.)



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